SRAM @ Eurobike, The Man Responsible For The XX1 Derailleur

Eurobike can be a very draining place so many things to see so many objects to look at, so it’s really nice to sit down once in a while away from the crowds and talk bikes with those who are leading the way.

At our MTB-Mag Sram meeting we met up with the man responsible for the technology behind the 1 X 11 derailleur, Andreas Benz explained to us the reasons behind the shift to the parallel dérailleur and how he came up with the designs. It’s always good to put a face to something that we have come to rely on, it’s also contributed to the change in design of mountain bikes and has been a runaway success for Sram and led the whole industry in a new direction.

“The key focus on the design was to allow better shifting to larger rear sprockets, and better control of chain bounce.” Andreas also talked us through the well know facts of the entire system and how the parts integrated. This lead us onto Sram’s latest innovation, their XX1 power meter.

Again hearing from the one of the engineers himself gave us a clear understanding of how it works, and the thoughts behind it. One key question was if it would work on other chain sets. Andreas explained that the power meter was calibrated to the XX1 interface and within it the strain gauges and measured the tiniest movements in the system therefore it would only work on that system. Andreas didn’t elaborate on further developments that might come in the future for lower groups.